Vernon Hills man chosen for 'The Voice'

Jamie Lono — the suburb's latest singing sensation — made his debut to a national audience Monday with his successful audition on NBC's “The Voice.”

Lono, 22, of Vernon Hills, sang Johnny Cash's classic “Folsom Prison Blues,” and he impressed the judges with his original, “soulful” style.

“You're so soulful,” celebrity judge Adam Levine said. “You did something that was really different, and we keep saying that different is what we want.”

“The Voice” features four celebrity judge/coaches: Levine, CeeLo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton. During the blind auditions, each coach is working to build a team of singers to compete for the top prize.

As Lono was singing, both Levine and Green turned their chairs, signaling they wanted him to be a part of their team.

Lono appeared nervous and modest, thanking the judges for the opportunity several times before choosing to be on Green's team. Lono said he felt a personal connection to Green and that he is looking forward to working with him.

Suburban fans also may know Lono as Jamie Thompson, a 2007 graduate of Vernon Hills High School, but the singer changed his name as he explored his music and found himself.

“I feel like I've changed as a person. ‘Lono' means god of peace and music, and that's something I would like to represent onstage,” Lono said.

Part of that change was learning to believe in himself, which Lono said finally kicked in when he was about to go onstage to audition for “The Voice” this summer.

“It was a different kind of nervous,” he said. “I've auditioned for a lot of things, but then it was like, I don't know if I can do this. This time I knew I could do it, I believed in myself and who I was as an artist, and there I was.”

Lono joked on the show about his job making sandwiches at Potbelly Sandwich Works in Vernon Hills, to which Levine responded, “I'll ensure you never have to make a sandwich again.”

And while his career is off to an exciting start, Lono is back in Vernon Hills and still serving sandwiches while waiting for the next round of “The Voice,” but he doesn't mind.

Since the show aired, Lono already has thousands of new Facebook fans and Twitter followers — attention he said is welcome, but a bit overwhelming for the singer who said he is typically very shy.

“People can go on iTunes and buy my single. If they want to come to the sandwich shop and say ‘hi,' they're more than welcome to,” Lono said. “I could use all the support I can get.”

Lono said he's thankful for his support system of family, friends and a girlfriend who all support him.

Another thrill of the audition, which was taped in California this summer, was meeting Carson Daly. Like many of his generation, Lono spent many afternoons watching Daly on “Total Request Live.”

“Meeting Carson was unreal; I watched him everyday,” Lono said. “He was such a nice guy, and he knew my name. It was just unreal.”

Although America has only seen Lono sing one song so far, he has many different types and genres of songs on his YouTube page, and he said he doesn't define his singing style.

“I don't try to be a soul or a blues singer,” Lono said. “The only type of music is good music.”

Auditions for “The Voice” continue airing next Monday on NBC, and Lono will appear on the next round in a few weeks.